Invasion
by theblondeknight45
Summary: In that one moment, Nigel had made the greatest impact on the galaxy in over 1,000 years. The sentence was passed, all Earth was judged by a single operative. Now, it rests on another operative to save his planet, or allow it to be another statistic in the G:KND's reign of terror. But can he sacrifice everything his friend once meant to him? Chad's POV. Cover credit to artist.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome one and all to my newest mini-series concerning the War of Invasion, which is the Fallout of Nigel's decision in the Stop the G:KND short. I plan for it to run 4 or 5 chapters, so let's see how it goes. I know others have already made fics of this type, and I've poked around some but never finished any, so if there are blaring similarities they are unintentional. I don't own KND but I would love to see a G:KND series put on the air (#MakeCartoonNetworkGreatAgain) I love reviews, so leave one for me on the way out, yes? Yes.**

 **Please enjoy!  
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"Don't do it, Nigel!" He urged, struggling against his shackles, "this isn't what the Kids Next Door is about!"

"SUPPRESSED!" The communal voice of G:KND High Command ordered.

The next thing he knew he was teleported away from the courtroom and back into the entrance of the Alphacate Station, where deep within his high security cell awaited him. The trial of Earth was proceeding without him, but he hoped with everything he had that Nigel had heard what he said, that those words were still ringing in his mind...otherwise. He didn't want to think about the otherwise in this scenario.

He was shoved into the floor by a Noth-rak operative, orange skin, very large. He probably was the equivalent of an 8 year old human operative, but he dwarfed the officially turncoat Numbuh 274 of Earth.

"You go, else you cry."

The translation modulator between some species was still imperfect, the Noth-rak being one poorly translated to human. Despite this, Chad knew immediately what the alien was hinting at. Much as he hated to give in, another hour inside the torture chamber called The Unspoken Room would break him down too far to do anything useful if Nigel failed him.

Please, please Nigel, don't fail.

He lifted himself off the white floor that smelled of overdone cleansing agents, the blue data transmitted between the millions and millions of operatives through the universe gliding within at speeds he couldn't process. He took a few steps, but his pace was not his guard's liking, and he was shoved again, but managed to keep his footing this time. He sped up accordingly, and looked down the halls when they came to a crossroad, and into open doors when the chance presented itself. He had to know. He had to know if Nigel would throw it all away.

The seconds ticked by at a maddeningly slow pace, and he felt like the worst hours of school were over in a flash compared to this growing dread inside. He was periodically guided along with extra force by the Noth-rak, but he was too close to the cell blocks to keep going. He needed an answer.

And when the red lights began flashing, he scolded himself for asking that...even though he knew perfectly well he had done everything possible to prevent this. Nigel had given in after all. The verdict was in, Earth was sentenced to oblivion. Even as the Noth-rak grabbed him by the neck and hurled him down the hall he felt the entire station moving. It was always tractored to the War Station Ookhal, which would be one of the first, if not the very first, G:KND assault vessels to reach his home. Earth was over thirty-five years away by the fastest technology his planet could manufacture, but it would take the War Station less than an hour. He didn't have much time.

"GO. OR CRY!" The Noth-rak screamed.

Chad tested the strength of his cuffs. As he figured, they were top of the line, straight from supply dispatch. Probably never worn before. No loopholes to exploit here. Then it would be a little more challenging, not game breaking.

"Hey...what number are you?" Chad asked as he picked himself up and wiped the blood from his lip.

"I number Fox."

"...sure," Chad rolled with it, "Let me tell you something-"

He was grabbed by the throat and cut off most violently.

"I SPEAK YOU, GO OR CRY. NOW CRY!"

Chad was already nearly out of breath, but he made sure he only needed one movement to take this one down. He struggled to get the words out, but he managed it as his feet propped just above the operative's massive belly button.

"I hate being pushed around," Chad choked, pushing off the agent's belly and swinging his full might into the organ that made the Noth-rak a very glass tank kind of species. If you knew just where their sleep organ was, you could put them down for days. Chad hoped this one would keep quiet for at least one.

The orange giant dropped Chad immediately and clutched its stomach as if it was about to have a long and embarrassing trip to the bathroom, but instead it fell to the floor in one large flop and began snoring at once.

Chad wasted no time in darting down the hall, already passing cells. Most of them were filled with adults and teenagers of other species, some of which made the Noth-rak seem like rag dolls in comparison. It was by no accident that planets were eventually deemed to be too unfit for life. Maybe in some planets, where the adults were the sizes of mountains, and kids were his own size, and they were outnumbered despairingly, then just maybe the complete euthanization of a species was necessary.

It had been deemed so by G:KND High Command only twelve times in the past. Guess Earth was now lucky number 13. Nigel….that idiot.

Chad had hoped that in the red alarms of going for a destruction protocol against a planet the attacking of a guard would go unnoticed, but he was not so lucky. He saw and heard many others scrambling in the distance, but if he was careful he could navigate the maze of cages under the cover of the alarm without being seen, he should be fine. He only needed to go three places to stop this invasion in its tracks.

First, and most easily due to its close proximity, would be to get into the armory and get back all his equipment...plus a little more. He could also remove his handcuffs along the way. After that he couldn't waste any time in getting a covert message to Numbuh 362. She had been a little luckier than he had been when the incident last week went down. To his knowledge, she was still a fugitive of the G:KND, and had no doubt fled back to Earth. She could handle the preparations if he let her know fast enough.

Finally, he had to cut the head off this monster before it grew too large. It was a time honored, ancient protocol in the G:KND that if the operative who had begun the mission was taken out, the mission would be declared a failure. If he stopped Nigel, Earth would be spared. But they were both more skilled now, both fighting in a life and death situation...and both desperate to protect what they had in their hearts. That British blockhead….was he really so lost in the monster of the G:KND that he no longer cared? Chad honestly wasn't sure, but he was intent to find out just how deep Nigel was drowning.

The Armory wasn't much farther from a horizontal plane perspective, but was three levels up. The teleporters wouldn't let anyone with handcuffs use them unless accompanied by at least one operative registered as on duty. There were stairs, but they were an unsafe bet. Elevators were no good, too often used by security.

He rounded one last corner and almost ran into the many antennae coming from a blorax operative. Blorax had four arms, three legs, and resembled moving cacti, only able to get around from the many prickly antennae sprouting out of their many limbs. Despite their lack of taste, smell, sight, and hearing, they were very effective operatives when put to the right task. The question of whether or not this was such a task, though, was questionable. They relied on touch anatomically speaking, but most Blorax seemed to have a sixth sense about whatever needed to be done. An instinct of the highest caliber.

Chad crept around the operative, who appeared to notice something was near him, but he had not yet identified Chad as an escaped prisoner. The blonde teenager moved slower still, but kept himself moving all the time towards the open closet not fifteen feet behind the alien. There was a good chance some half-functioning weapon was stowed in there, or perhaps a master key misplaced and hastily stowed away in the dust. It was a deep weakness of the G:KND, easily exploitable, if you knew it was there.

The operative on guard moved like a ninja that caught wind of blood, reaching out inches away from Chad and grasping at air, making an odd humming noise which was (as of yet) unable to be interpreted by humans. Another arm reach just behind him, and then a third shot out to grab his chest. He had just enough time to duck and crouch against the wall. Its hands lingered around and above him for several seconds, and then it hummed again loudly and ran off down the hall, feeling every possible orifice to guide itself.

Chad sprinted into the closet and found a smirk on his face. A blaster with a half-blown targeting pack was still usable...for species with eyes. He scoured the rest of the scattered items in the closet, but did not find any master key. He'd have to pick-pocket, or if push came to shove, forcefully take one.

Peering out the open doors, he made sure the coast was clear and ran towards the stairwell. He slowed down as he approached the door, but was flung through the opening they made when an explosion rocketed him forward and activated the motion scanners. He stumbled up the the corner and felt a great pain in his arm before it quickly went numb. An Aegorta operative, wounded and leaning against the wall for support, had one blaster attached to its armless chest. Chad fired back as he fell down the few steps he'd ascended and the creature was out as cold as the Noth-rak. He cursed under his breath as he fumbled upwards, feeling the great fatigue of a high level blast.

With his armor on, that shot would've felt like a mediocre punch, but that was a luxury he did not yet have. He got through the first two floors when he heard an oncoming rush of operatives and took a major chance at playing dead. That explosion could've been any number of things, but his best guess was sabotage. Whether it was related to the judgement on Earth or purely coincidental, he was willing to risk his plans on it. He dropped the blaster and fell to his stomach, putting a semi-pained expression on and lay still. Within seconds a herd of alien operatives found him.

"Look, the betrayer, Number 274 of planet Earth. He has been subdued," A female ab-ka-kor proclaimed triumphantly.

"No time to bring him to a secure cell, we must ensure the Station does not get separated from Ookhal."

"Let us hurry then," A third alien declared and pointed them forwards.

To his comfort, he had not been discovered, and got back to his feet when he heard the doors shut behind the party a few floors up. To his great dismay, whatever was going on, it would ruin his plans if he was separated from the Warship charging towards Earth. Furthermore, one of the operatives had the wherewithal to swipe his blaster.

When he went through the doors of the armoy level, he found himself forced into the middle of no man's land amidst a great battle. He dove for the cover of a spilled medical supply crate, taking refuge inside the box as best he could.

Behind him, where his eyes could not see, he heard the call of several aliens, his translator straining to convert their languages into his own.

"They are rallying!"

"Defend the armory! If they overrun us, this station is as good as lost!"

"Aim for Bar-bar-koth and Un-Chezo, they have no doubt started this riot!"

"Also former Earth operative number 60!"

True to their calls, Chad saw an assortment of prisoners, most with blasters or rifles in hand (or anatomical equivalent) fighting to escape confinement. And in the middle of them, like the commander he was at heart, Patton was fighting harder than any of them and relaying orders.

Chad analyzed the situation and observed as best he could what the side he was going to end up shooting at looked like at the moment, but his heart almost stopped when he heard the distinct noises of a dog fight racing their way.

The armory level was, for reasons lost in ancient code, many times larger than most other levels, reportedly so that one of the now extinct races could run it. In any case, it was the size of five regular floors, just enough room for the smaller classes of starfighters to race around, if the pilot was skilled enough.

Blaster bolts fried the ground around him, but he escaped their wrath this time. Before another pass could be made he heard the operatives behind him mounting for a charge, and grabbed a medical scanner. If you knew what you were doing, this tool of healing could become a serious

health hazard. Granted, he wasn't sure it would work, for he was no such operative that knew what they were doing, but he had a pretty good idea.

When several aliens ran past him he counted them off and ran behind what he accurately guessed was one of the last of them. He threw the rapidly heating scanner in the midst of the rushing group and yanked the Sarksii operative through the hall running perpendicular to the battle lane. A few quick moves and the guard's weapon was his and she was unconscious. He felt the heat of the scanner's explosion from where he was, and imagined that anyone foolish enough to not take cover from the loud warning beeps it made before destruction would not be battling any longer.

Another, more menacing explosion rocked the entire station, and one of the fighters in the distance crashed into the ceiling and exploded in a storm of flames. He didn't have the time to wait and play this level safe, he had to move, so that he did. Chad sprinted as best he could and turned left towards the central hub of the armory.

It was a shelter for the guards and operatives amidst a blazing assault from the escaped. Whatever hesitation was in his heart about joining with the rioters disappeared when he thought of the stakes resting on his success. He was technically a rioter, he'd just started a bit early.

He wandered into the assault group and joined in the bombardment. It was going to be a tough battle, given their advantage as defenders and with an entire gallery of weapons and defenses to use. After a few minutes and little progress against the fort, Chad began to wander away to try a different approach, but was stopped by a Hargund prisoner, blob like and gelatinous encased in a frail frame.

"Human! Why do you still have your cuffs on? No matter, come here!"

His luck was very fickle, but he took its fortune where it was given to him.

"How's it looking?" He asked, almost against his better judgement.

"Almost all of us are free, but the RND fleet isn't taking enough of the heat. We're outnumbered and outgunned. If we don't break in soon, we'll have to pull out and accept our losses," The alien reported.

"RND, huh?"

"Resistance Next Door, obviously."

"I know...I'm part of it."

"How about that? I'm more rented out at the moment, but I don't hold a grudge against your type. You fight for what you believe in, I respect that."

"So the RND came out guns blazing to free prisoners and take up arms?"

"Not all of them, in fact it was a covert move. My contract was just ending when I got captured last month. Figure I might as well do my part here and then take my leave after all this euthanization business. As far as I know, only one frigate engaged this station in particular, but a few more are keeping Ookhal busy. I suppose the rest of the fleet is rushing to defend whatever planet is on the chopping block."

"Is Ookhal the lead ship?"

It was hard to know where in the galaxy Nigel was leading this assault from, but the Ookhal would be both convenient and plausible.

"Don't know, sorry."

The cuffs were finally cut from his wrists, and the two moved to rejoin the fray.

"Is Numbuh 60 leading this RND mission?"

"He's field commander, at least."

"Alright...I've got to find him, I'll try a different approach on the way."

"Sure. Just remember, the fallback order can come at any time."

Chad ran past a storm of bolts and managed to get into a vacant position of cover. The missing insurgent or prisoner had almost gotten a morph grenade ready when they vanished. A morph grenade would change the integrity of the fort's walls, the perfect solution to a conundrum like this, but only if they didn't see it coming.

It would be better to have their entire front side taken from them, then the masses could swarm in and overrun the agents inside, but Chad knew the frontal wall was the most heavily fortified. He'd go through the back. Unfortunately, a turret on the second floor had him pinned in place as soon as he arrived.

His attempts to take out the gunner proved ineffective, and he was almost ready to get really desperate and chance a fake-out, but the whirring of another fighter overhead stopped him. To his disbelief, he saw a figure jump from a second fighter engaged in a game of chicken with the G:KND fighter. They collided in a loud crash of flaming metal, but both pilots jumped out in time. They wrestled on the way down, trading blows to stay on top of the other. At last, the resistance fighter was caught upside the head and thrown onto the roof of the armory fort with a crash. The G:KND pilot, another Sarksii, pulled his chute and got in the way just enough for Chad to race out of firing range.

He threw himself into the rear wall and finished the grenade set up. He stuck it the side of the armory and ran as he knew his life depended on not getting caught in the blast which could turn his bones to jelly.

The wall ceased to be in a bright flash and mighty wind, and Chad rushed in to follow up with a quick and precise surprise attack. He managed to gun down several foes and create an opening for those who'd seen him to follow suite, but was soon pinned down again behind an almost full supply shelf in the corner.

Another morph grenade was thrown inside, and Chad backed against the wall, suddenly very aware of how dangerous the shifting of matter was was he felt the impact run through his entire being. He also had to cringe at the waste of equipment and supplies that was, but these qualified as times of desperation. He was soon joined by more of the insurgents and another blaring alarm was raised to signify the armory's compromisation.

"Tell me we have a way to flush them out...we can't go poking around in here with all these hidden operatives," a stranger said.

"We've come this far, can't be stopped now," Chad replied.

"Agreed human," a second stranger said as he came up behind them, "They won't give the fallback order anymore. We just have to get in and out with the goods. Transportation is online, we'll be beamed right back to the frigate."

"I don't mean to be a bother, but I didn't come with the frigate, I hope we can account for that," Chad told them, realizing that his best bet was to join back up with the RND. He could get what he needed from them and go after Nigel easily enough, and they must have a better idea of where to look than he did.

"Of course, all freed prisoners are being evacuated to join in the defense of the judged planet."

"Alright then...let's get to work," Chad said, running from the cover of the shelf and blasting every few seconds to scare the operatives, shed more light in the dark areas, and maybe even get lucky and tag a guard.

He was making solid progress for a moment, but before he reached the second level he found himself slung up in a mess of tentacles, and a Flolor operative emerged from the shadows. Chad did his best to struggle out as his backup provided support, but the confrontation brought many of the hidden operatives into the fire fight.

Now outnumbered and outgunned, the rioters had no choice but to leave Chad dangling in the swarm of organic ropes. He felt them worm their way around his limbs and his throat, choking the life right out of him and shaking him around in the air to throw off the little resistance he could muster. It was all starting to go black, and he tried the proven tactic of playing dead before it could actually happen, but this Flolor was overly aggressive, and Chad was fading into what he feared could be his final sleep when yet another explosion saved him.

The ceiling above collapsed and rubble fell on them all like rain, the Flolor operative being crushed under a large fragment of wall and its tentacles receding to try and free the rest of it. Groping for the gun, Chad stumbled around and found himself lucky once more to not be crushed under the wreckage. He had almost regained his bearings when a furry arm wrapped around his neck and hoisted him in the air again. A Xizil operative then put a blaster in his back.

"You did well to escape...but you will never see your planet again," It taunted, amidst Chad's struggle to free himself.

"Agent 274 of planet Earth, I sentence you to the same fate as your home world by the decree of Agent 1 of Earth."

"Agent 60 of Earth has a problem with that!" A familiar voice called out in the settling dust, from which came many blaster bolts that subdued Chad's assailant before he could react.

Next thing he knew, a friendly hand was picking him up.

"Hot _darn_ I'm glad to see you again...sir," Patton regained himself.

Chad rubbed his throat and shook hands with his rescuer, "Likewise."

"Secure the upper levels, we take what we can and then we leave; beaming out in about three minutes people!" Numbuh 60 shouted, then quieted and turned back to Chad, "I heard from Numbuh 362 things didn't go well."

"No...Nigel has….I don't even know what's gotten into his head. I need to straighten him out."

"Good thing we showed up when we did then."

"It saves me an uncomfortable call. She's with that frigate I've heard about, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. I need to talk to her, but you might be able to help me too, do you know where Nigel is leading this assault from?"

"Afraid not, but that's not going to stop you."

"Nope."

"Need backup?"

"No. I'll do it alone. I give him credit for being skilled...and a few years back, on that carrier...he beat me, fair and square. It's time for a rematch."

He realized he was wasting time, and began walking around until he found his gear under a lock easily taken care of by a quick blast.

"The RND has seen some influx of recruitment these past couple months, and we're winning battles, but losing this war. If Earth goes…"

"It won't."

"But if it does-"

"It won't."

"Are you that confident?"

Chad hesitated for a slight moment, but he answered a resounding affirmative, "Yes."

He started poking around for anything and everything useful. He'd need more than one ace up his sleeve when he confronted his friend, or perhaps the agent his friend had become. He also needed to be in the know as much as possible.

"So you're leading the raids under Numbuh 362's command. Where's Maurice? What about Fanny?"

"Numbuh 86 was working in the Davos System...it's been too long since we lost contact to know what she's up to know, but rumor has it she's working her way back to us. Numbuh 9 was actually back on Earth just a few days ago, preparing for this eventuality. When we lost you and Rachel, he was prepared for the worst…."

The heavy edge on his voice made Chad pause whilst stringing a few surprises on his belt. He walked towards his friend and looked him in the eye, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"He wasn't prepared for betrayal."

"What happened?"

"He was working with Numbuhs 5, 2, and 37 on installing planetary defenses, but 74.239 ratted him out. I actually thought he was on our side, like Vine. Not so. He was seized by undercover G:KND operatives, but I heard it from Abby herself that they left Earth. Now we just have to hope he did a good enough job in the time he had."

"We don't know if he's here?"

"Nobody has seen sign of him. Not yet."

"And 74.239?"

"Fled back to G:KND High Command, for all we know."

The anxious and agitated voice belonging to Rachel McKenzie was so loud over Patton's earpiece Chad couldn't miss it.

"Numbuh 60! Time to go NOW, or we don't go AT ALL!"

"Roger!" He called back.

"All hands prepare for evac, T-minus 10 seconds to beam out!" He called out over the comms.

Chad grabbed a few extra power cartridges before he felt the familiar flash and rush of pure energy surging through his veins and running down his bones to take him away. It was a relief this time.

Phase one was completed, and phase two had been done before he'd come up with it. Earth was lying in wait for the invasion, all he could do now was take aim at the head of the enemy and hope to cleave it off before it was all too late.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all you fabulous readers! It's been a little while since the last update, but definitely a quicker one than a lot of my stories get, I suppose because I know this won't go nearly as long as my other current ones. That said...man, I've been playing a lot of Overwatch lately, lol. Also sometimes sit down to work on said other stories. Also currently trying to get back into Battlestar Galactica, of which the music in particular has helped motivate me to keep on so well with this. (All hail the Great Bear McCreary)**

 **Anyways, I hope this chapter meets expectations, it's admittedly a bit of a catch-up time, chapter 3 should pick up the pace again. But sometimes a change of pace is good. As always, reviews are worth more than all your love and possible sorrow. Pay my tribute and leave some words in reparation for my story...please.**

 **I own nothing except the basic plot idea and the OCs. Aren't I cool?**

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Space battles were so rarely as clean cut as this one had been. For all the training and skill required to be a good pilot, it seemed you could never be fully prepared for anything. The same was obviously true of field work, but no matter the circumstances, Chad always liked being in the middle of a bad situation with his own body to rely on, rather than a piece of metal constructed by someone he didn't know.

But by the time he was onboard the frigate, it was less than 20 seconds before departure. He and Patton had made their way to the medical bay like so many others, and to his expectation, Rachel was waiting for them both there.

"Hey there partner," Chad greeted. She looked torn between wanting to hit him and hug him.

"...so...how did you manage it?" She at last inquired, personally watching the medic examine his arm.

"Natural skill and a good sense of timing," he joked, "Really I wasn't expecting any of this, but it helps me."

"I couldn't quite believe it was him when I ran into him," Patton admitted, "...did we, erm, did we find out about Numbuh 9?"

Rachel was very, very good at hiding emotions like sadness and fatigue behind her Supreme Leader face. Most assumed you got it during your tenure, but he realized that his true Supreme Leader face had come to him after he'd become a teen operative. By the time he'd joined up with the Galactic Level he was wearing it most of the time. Thus, he was able to read behind these faces, and knew the answer before she gave it.

"We did more than just raid the cells. We got our hands on serious intel, but there's no mention of what happened to him. It's as though he disappeared from the face of the universe."

"But we're not giving up," Chad followed up.

"Of course not. But right now we've got to worry about the imminent doom racing towards Earth."

"I'll go make my preparations, I wasn't hurt anyways. Ma'am. Sir," Patton bade farewell and marched himself out, already contacting his subordinates before making it out of the hall.

The medic was silently moving a device over his arm where he'd been hit before escaping. The numbness had gone away before he'd been picked up, but he knew this was a necessary step in order to prevent a debilitating ache tomorrow. He and Rachel were simply watching it, for a time.

"So you think he's gone?" She finally asked.

"I don't know. But I'm going to stop him."

"I agree, we need to make Nigel a priority. If we can repel the first invasion it won't be long before we see a second. We'll have to move fast and hard."

"No, I'm going to do it. Not us. Me."

"You don't outrank me. Not anymore. We started this resistance together. We're partners."

"I'm leaving this in your hands. It'll be better to have a coordinated effort. You repel while I attack."

"I said no. I need you here to guide. To lead. When the G:KND came back to Earth, when you and Nigel came asking for help with the offer for any of the high ups to join you to fight the Gol Gar Ga Empire, and the Kids Next Door of Earth realized you were on our side, you have no idea how huge that was."

"I think I get the picture."

"You really don't. The fact that they all recognized how much you gave up, and willing accepted you back and elevated you into the herodom that comes with being a Galactic Operative….it's a charisma almost nobody has. I don't have it. I need you with me."

"I have to do this."

"Maurice is MIA. Patton isn't prepared to lead on a scale like this. I wouldn't trust Fanny to do it even if she was with us. Does that leave anyone else who went up except for me and Nigel?"

"..."

"Beyond that….well you know 74.239 ended up a turncoat. We know the sacrifice Vine made trying to stop this thing from taking off, and he never said anything to me, but I know it was Nigel. You're the only other person in this galaxy I trust completely."

"I'm sorry."

"No, Chad! I cannot have you leaving me like this!"

The other resistance operatives and temporary allies had caught wind of what was going on, and the medic awkwardly stepped away. Chad rubbed his arm softly and started walking out with Rachel in tow.

"Trust me when I say that I wish I could've stopped this from taking off too. I tried to talk him out of it, but Nigel went and swung the mallet. Nothing left to do but stop the execution. If I leave now, I might even be able to get to him before Earth comes into range."

She sighed and hung her head for a moment, "Well I'm sorry...we don't know where he is anyways."

"Come on. You really expect me to believe that? You and I were keeping tabs on him before this all hit the fan."

"I really don't. I think he began taking extra precautions when you were arrested. I think he trusts nobody but himself by now."

It was Chad's turn to sigh now. He was tempted to ask if she was lying to him - but he knew better than that. Rachel wasn't the kind to lie like that. She was a lot of things, and honest and loyal were two such things. And so, he relented, for now.

"Fine. Where do we need to be, what do we know about their plan?"

She smiled that smile of contentedness, which betrayed the true relief inside.

"Obviously all the War Stations in the area are en route, Ookhal, Dich-dan, Queyle, et cetera. We have friendlies racing towards Earth, but we might be the first to arrive. I've been in contact with Numbuh 5...she's made contact with the Earth KND's Supreme Leader."

"What is that, the fourth after me?"

"No, fourth after me."

"Wow...the time flies."

"The Earth based Kids and Teens Next Door will be waiting, and our pleas of help to the Teen Ninjas and even some of the adults are pending. If it comes down to a ground invasion, I think we'll be OK."

Chad grimaced.

"And if they use the OED?"

"...Let's hope they don't."

"I would if I were them. So would you. It plays into all their strengths."

"Orbital Euthanization is also more time consuming."

"They'll be prepping on the way. It'll take an extra hour at most. And if they're expecting us to have the kind of help you're talking about it'll be faster despite the preparation time."

"Well we'll have to come up with two plans then, huh? Follow me up the bridge."

"Yes ma'am," He turned to look behind him, and follow her into the lift.

The bridge was in a worse state than he had expected. If he was honest with himself, he figured it would be a little trashed, after all, he knew this model was several years old, and it didn't look a battle virgin. But for the wires to be hanging out of the ceiling, the consoles missing buttons and even whole segments of interface, and random steam jetting from holes in the structural integrity...it must've been in many close calls.

He was amazed the star map Patton and a couple other high ranking RND officers were looking over was completely intact and functional. They joined them amid conversation.

"-think that it would be better to leave a contingency in place."

"I agree, but we can't spare that many for- Oh, ma'am...and sir! Numbuh 274, it's an honor! I'd heard a lot about you before making it here." A female glycallicus, a bird-like species with large and colorful wings on their backs greeted.

"Welcome back Numbuh 362, and Numbuh 274. Good to see you again."

This one Chad knew, a male Wu-aba, hairy like an ape, identical in biology to a human save for the clawed hands and horns along the top of the head, like a carnal crown. His name was Vi-cheti.

"I don't think we've met yet," He greeted the glycallicus, who introduced herself as Duva.

"No, but it really is an honor," Duva insisted.

"I bet you say that to all the human G:KND drop outs and unofficial operatives."

For what it was worth, she may have. Nigel and Chad had begun the work, the highest and most desired recruits in the liter from Earth. They faced prejudice around every corner...until the Great Disaster, where humankind showed its true worth, being one of three species immune to the Red Virus.

Soon Nigel and Chad were joined by many of their old companions and from there on they became celebrities everywhere except in the highest and deepest corners of the G:KND. Some prejudices died hard. Some species never saw beyond old sayings and long bred hatred.

"Now that we've gotten introductions out of the way," Rachel said, "What's our game plan looking like?"

"Computers are suggesting we'll have maybe a third of their initial firepower and numbers when Earth comes in range," Duva reported.

"The current plan is to recreate the magic success of our breakout, use most of us as a canvas of distraction while a few key agents do the bulk of the work," Vi-cheti elaborated.

"It wasn't magical, let me tell you," Chad spoke his mind, "But it worked well. They don't suspect old tricks like hiding the goal in plain sight or using the same tactic back to back for the unexpected angle…"

"One of many things they didn't pick up from the Earth agents, to their own misfortune," Rachel agreed.

"So how do we combat the War Station? Going in through the missile silos after launch?" Chad asked.

"And shutting it down from the inside by removing the core, exactly," Vi-cheti finished.

"OK, I'll lead the field team," Chad told them, vetoing the questionable look he got from Rachel by further expanding his plan, "I'll take a few of our best and relay the action on the inside to you three, if we work together I can shut their plan down and you can have more success with damage control."

"You would rather go in than command a ship?" Duva asked, quite shocked.

"Never cared for space battles much, and besides, I have a few things to do with the information on that ship."

"Chad…" Rachel warned, which went more or less unnoticed by the alien commanders.

"Relax. I'll stay on your mission, but I won't forget mine."

"You _better_ not," She told him in her Supreme Leader voice.

"Might I point out something?" Vi-cheti broke in after a small silence between the humans.

"Please," Rachel encouraged.

"We will most certainly be pushed to defend Earth and our ships, but we shouldn't forget that your planetary Kids Next Door will largely be idle during the battle, at least that's what I gathered from my knowledge of Earth and its interaction with the G:KND."

"Numbuh 5 works with the Supreme Leader in directing Galactic affairs, but no, most agents don't realize how bad things have gotten. Most probably don't know anything about the Galactic level except that it exists, and only a few of us have ever made it," Rachel explained.

"But she'll change that...won't she?" Chad asked.

"That's not really up to her. Yes, she's a teen operative, heck I'd was going to recommend her for Galactic duty had things not taken this turn….but she's not Supreme Leader anymore, and neither are we. We can't presume anything," Rachel answered, a frown coming to her face.

"Is there a way to know what's going on?" Duva asked.

"Not likely. Transmissions to and from Earth are impossible from this range. We'll have to be in the middle of the battle to contact them, per G:KND protocol. Even then, if we don't run our systems as hard and fast as we can we won't get passed their network," Vi-Cheti said.

"And won't that be a nice surprise?" Chad remarked.

"Listen," Rachel said very suddenly, "If things start going dark…..well, the captain goes down with the ship. If you can escape, go. I'll make sure they focus on me."

"Not a chance," Chad told her.

"I won't let us all fall here-"

"That's not what I meant. I won't let it get that bad. Nobody or their planet is going to be euthanized today."

"Chad...you keep saying these things, and I know you're good...but you're still living behind the times if you don't see that as possible."

All he did was grin slyly.

"SIRS!" An urgent female voice called from the helm, "IMPACT!"

An explosion rocketed them all towards the ceiling an instant after, but the anti-gravity kicked in just in time and kept them in the air.

"Report!" Rachel demanded.

"Single vessel, running an intercept! They knew we were right behind them, so they sent out a distraction!" a junior officer complied.

"Not many crew members, this is a Devoider! Most of the ship's mass and energy go towards the placement ray, we're stuck and being crushed by the surrounding pressure! ETA to destruction is less than five minutes!" Another called out.

"No choice now, I need an assault team in the hanger now!" Chad ordered as he ran to leave the bridge.

The Devoider was a support ship designed to keep larger vessels from fleeing and damaging their engines and wings by drawing pressure from the space around the battle and throwing it all onto the hull of the enemy ship. Some bright guy had the idea to make a mobile tractor beam. By itself it could do no more harm than that, but it was very good at outmaneuvering enemies, especially under a good pilot. In a situation against only one medium sized ship, it was a toss up as to who could outdo whom quicker.

Chad was just getting onto the hanger deck when he motioned for the few pilots in place to go; there was no single second they could afford to waste. The communications feed went live before he got into his cockpit.

"This ATK-51er, I have made contact, missiles are ineffective!"

"All units be advised," Chad reprimanded, "We are fighting a new model, they vent a small amount of the void's pressure around themselves to disrupt enemy fire. Blasters have less than a twenty percent chance of making contact with the hull, missiles have just under five percent chance."

The clicks came in to signal acknowledgement, and Chad sighed.

"Any support we can expect?" Chad asked as he rubbed his forehead. He couldn't remember the last time he slept.

Rachel answered with annoyance in her tone, "These ships exist to foil us, but I'm working on getting a program up and running to reverse the pressure flow. I doubt it'll be ready for you, so do your thing and get the heavy lifting done. I don't expect us to have anymore problems with Devoiders if we make it through this though."

"Roger," Chad answered and focused himself as his vessel shot like a bullet into the great darkness of space, lit up by the glowing purple rays slowly constricting the frigate to death and the many colored beams of light trying to silence the large purple glow. He added some blue and took aim straightaway for the ship barring their path.

In design, it somewhat resembled a C.O.O.L.B.U.S. though it had many more fins and small rockets to be as agile as possible and spin and thrust forward constantly to avoid enemy fire. Chances of making contact were slim, but chances of their continued annoyance should they be hit were just as bad.

That said, hitting it proved more difficult than he could have anticipated. With so many of them, they were dodging each other's fire and staying out of their comrades' way more than they were aiming to take out the enemy ship, and that wouldn't do.

"All units break away - not you 149er and 3pi6er, you're with me."

Most of the vessels broke off at command, and Chad went in with the two support units, based entirely on the raw data at hand. They were supposedly the best shots on the frigate, and yet...he was falling into an odd trap.

"You were in this same situation, years back, remember?" Something inside him whispered.

"I was _trying_ to fail," He silently told himself, "I wanted Nigel to win that day. My whole purpose was to throw him on the pedestal. Not anymore! Now I'm playing to win, and I will win."

His nightmares were unconvinced, and he suddenly saw the tricycle Nigel raced through halls of Hendry Middle School in place of the Devoider. His mouth went agape as the blankness of space turned into rows of infinite lockers, an occasional fountain turret or closed door to break the large monotony.

"I will win…" he told himself with a quiet edge, "I _am_ the best there is."

Then Nigel looked back at him, smirking and laughing darkly to himself. Chad gritted his teeth, but he couldn't help but let the sweat gather on his brow. His fingers dug into the controls and he held his breath as he lined up the shot.

"You _were_ the best there was!" The bald, british figment taunted.

"Chad…"

His pupils flickered over the flashing lights and onto the stupid kid on the bike, the principal's office was just becoming visible in the distance.

"Chad!"

He moved his finger to pull the trigger and fire...but he hesitated at the last moment, and he watched as the door to Principle Hendry's office became larger and more ominous.

"Chad! We're being crushed alive here!" Rachel snapped.

"..."

"We'll implode in less than a minute, take the shot! Now!"

He broke through all the mocking figments and doubtful hesitation, and fired. The shot lined up perfectly with the support the two fighters beside him lent, and the Devoider was stuck with nowhere to go.

A flash of bright light and the ejecting of seats covered in hard jelly to preserve the pilots filled his eyes with relief. The doubt was gone. Now he was going to hear about this lapse. Now he was going to wonder how he let it happen as Rachel gave him a piece of her mind.

He barely noticed the cheering on the comms as the pilots rushed back to the frigate so as to re-engage the course to Earth. He walked through the halls, took his trip through the lifts, even talked to a few people. But all he saw was Nigel's smirking face. All he could hear was that doubt in him.

What was happening? He _was_ better than this. He knew it, why was his mind betraying him?

"Are you even listening!?" Rachel demanded.

"Relax," Chad told her, just realizing he was back on the bridge. He also noticed he was sweating again.

"We need your head with us, Chad. You can't fall apart on us."

"I'm not falling apart. I'm fine." He hoped he sounded as convincing out loud as he did in his head. Even then there was room for improvement.

"Ma'am, pardon the interruption, the anti-Devoider code has been synthesized. We're also getting initial trajectory readings; ETA to Earth is less than five!" An officer reported, though only Vi-cheti seemed to pay him any attention.

"Why is that operatives like you seem to think your luck never ends?"

"I don't rely on luck."

"That was skill?" She asked in disbelief. What was getting her so hot?

"It wasn't a problem. I'm not going to let Earth die! I don't crack under pressure. Never have, never will."

He regretted that boldness as soon as it left his mouth. That was usually an invitation to rue your haughtiness, but this was too important to leave any trace of doubt, or inkling of such in the minds of your allies.

"We're supposed to be a team!" Duva shouted, "We can't turn on each other before we even reach the battle!"

Chad bit his tongue and held back the words he felt compelled to say. He wasn't arguing with Rachel, and he suspected she wasn't just firing off on him. They all had nightmares and demons, and he was just beginning to suspect his weren't the only ones that came out to haunt before the moment of adversity.

Hers just used different poisons than his, so their antidotes clashed. He needed willpower, she needed organization. They were on the verge of putting it behind them when it was forced to the back.

"SOMETHING'S WRONG!"

Before they knew it they were in the middle of the battle. Lasers flying every which way and deep, roaring sounds of metal cracking and breaking, the ever so subtle cries of shock and pain moaning through the void. It was just as he remembered it, but now he was openly fighting the team he had worked to get on for many years.

Ships and vessels of all kinds were chasing each other, holding down positions and lighting up the blackness with fire. Earth's defenses were mustered well, as he expected of Numbuh 5, but Abigail couldn't do it alone, and they were one of the first aid teams to arrive.

By now, the Earth based Kids Next Door had been hammered onto their last leg as the assault was coordinated from the War Station Ookhal, surrounded by support ships and fighters of all kinds, several of which had noticed their arrival into the apocalyptic scene.

The atmosphere was already infected with enemy agents, planting devices to quicken the locking on of the planet's core and initiate the destruction of Earth. As a result, festering sores of fire flared up from the ground; Earth was bleeding. Time was of the essence, brave operatives on both sides were giving everything they had, some to claim a planet, others to save it. Ookhal was gearing itself to emit the ray of destruction as soon as final preparations were complete. At this rate, a straight out bombardment would be faster.

The sight of it all never really sank in until the eyes beheld it. This was war. This was Armageddon. This was what Orbital Euthanization looked like, and it was terrifying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to the third part of this series, I apologize on the time it took to get here. I do plan on finishing this, but I've many projects running at the moment, and work and social life and many other things to take into account as well. Despite that, I want to get this one published, because I'm very disappointed a follow up KND series never panned out, so until it does, fan fiction like this will have to hold us KND fans over. Far be it from me to take away from anyone and leave them half a story.**

 **At the current moment, I plan on making the next chapter quite long, so the delay may be as long or longer...apologies, but anything can happen, so maybe I'll get it out fast? Who can say? In the meantime, reviews are always welcome, and I thank you for the time and attention. Until next time, Kids Next Door rules!**

* * *

Inside the station, Chad swore the sounds of destruction were louder. Somehow, even though it was better shielded, had more supporting craft to take fire, and they were away from the hotspots of the assault, it felt closer to the carnage on the other side of the walls.

"I want three teams," Chad whispered, "I've got Alpha point, Patton is leading Beta, 15k, I need you on Gamma."

Numbuh 15,000 was an eerie operative from a spider-like species with a large blob of a body and eight instectoid limbs, four being legs, two being arms, and the final pair being a cross between blades and antennae on their heads. The universal translator to his species was well developed, but the effort almost seemed wasted, as they said little no matter the circumstances. He nodded his acknowledgement and took two operatives with him down the hall.

"See you on the other side, sir!" Patton whispered and took his pair through a side door.

Chad looked over the two operatives left to him, an Ug-uh-khe-khag-ish, a sort of ghost-bear with transparence and inter-dimensional shifting abilities as a part of his natural biology, who went by Numbuh 13,366. The other, a Zsasztik known as Numbuh 14412, was an operative made of little birds, worms, and beetles, which fed on and reproduced one another within an invisible field that bound them together, working in perfect harmony to take any form their collective mind desired; for the most part, they imitated the general shape of a human, but they did not shy away from becoming anything weird or monstrous if it would be useful. They followed him up the ladder to the seventy-seventh floor.

Their entry into the torpedo bays went unnoticed, but Chad knew it would not stay that way for long. There were two ways to shut down an OED from within: Blow the core or clear the targeting computer, both options would end up destroying the vessel attempting the tactic. The far more dangerous route was going for the core, which was almost certain death if one went in without the proper equipment. It would be less heavily guarded, and was closer to their entry point, however. Overall, they probably assumed that was his goal, and he wanted them to think that.

While 15k and Patton both took routes to make them think that was their objective, they were both told to end up at the computer. Chad was, naturally, going to take the direct route there. Armed with as much weaponry as he could carry, he felt more like a KND operative than he had since his parents had tried to make him the "best" operative. It was that very night he had stopped them, he recalled, that Infinity had approached him for the first time.

The floor was near empty, not surprising given the percentage of operatives who would be manning fighters in the battle or turrets along the edges of every deck. Even still, they were surrounded, and in a state of High Alert, Ookhal was mostly a shadow, illuminated only by lights few and far between and the lasers outside. The data network inside the station that was commonplace on all GKND vessels was too deep inside the metal confines to show.

"We are sensing life ahead," The Zsasztik operative intoned quietly as they rounded a corner.

Chad slowed the party down and peeked out of cover to find a group of rebels. Their rifles and helmets to the side, the motley group of five were sharing a candy from a planet Chad couldn't recall the name of, but the mere stench of it reminded him the last time he ingested any he felt sick for the rest of the day.

What they were supposed to be doing was anyone's guess, but they seemed to not care if they were discovered, laughing loudly amongst each other and filling their mouths with the alien sweet. Chad let a smile crack his veneer when he saw a commander's notepad on one operative's side. He let a gas pellet fly and within seconds the five were on the floor and the chemicals were being taken care of by the Ookhal's filters which were programmed to eliminate anything not comprised of whole or mostly oxygen in High Alert situations - in other words, it wouldn't make a big fuss over their move.

His partners watched in the distance while he combed through the reports on the command pad.

"Looks like this group was ordered to patrol the halls for escapees…" Chad explained as he read, "I guess some of us made it all the way here during the breakout...but they didn't get out. All escaped prisoners still on the ship as of an hour ago have been accounted for...and terminated."

He closed the log bitterly, while the silence around the trio grew.

On the brighter side of things, he confirmed that the Computer was being guarded by a squad of nine. Four in the room, two at each door, and the final guard patrolling the perimeter of the entire deck. All this on top of the busy activity on that level. He also discovered that more ships had come to aid Earth in its moment of despair. Good, the more to distract them out there the better. The information on this pad would be nothing to the mother-lode he was sure to find before he scrambled the computer.

"Alright, let's move it out, up to the next floor," He ordered as he went up the staircase to Level seventy-eight.

"Sir, we've been made!" Numbuh 15k reported as shots fired in the background of his channel.

"Then let's double time it," he told the alien teammate and Patton on the shared channel, then moving to the one for Rachel, Duva, and Vi-Cheti.

"Let's see a nice distraction come into play, huh?"

"Alright, hold on," Duva confirmed a few seconds later.

Chad leaned close against the opening to the seventy-eighth deck, and nearly fell into it when an alarm blasted out across the station.

"Duva!" He scolded.

"Relax, I triggered it on purpose and sent them all the way to level twenty-two."

He sighed, "Alright….we can get this done quickly if we're fast and precise."

He darted out and was closely followed by his backup, moving into the shadows of a great bulkhead as a number of troops ran for the stairwell they had just exited. Replicating the movements from shadows and corners, they did well until the perimeter guard revealed himself.

It was an Uhchular, a genderless tree-trunk like species, closely related the true species of Numbuh 74.237. They were very resistant to toxins, extreme pressures, and drowning (only one recorded case of a pre-injured Uhchular drowning was ever recorded). They were known for being tough. If this was what the rest of the squad looked like, he would need to be faster and more precise than he ever was.

He very nearly pulled the trigger on ambushing the perimeter's protector, but stayed his hand for now. Surprise was still an option, best to keep it that way until the goal was in sight. So they let him pass, and moved onwards again.

The first door to the main computer came into sight soon thereafter. One guard was on the outside, the other was on the inside. Chad smiled when he was the guard on the outside.

He was some species Chad had never bothered to learn the name of, far too long and breath-taking, but thankfully they were not so tough as the Uhchular. In fact, they were glass cannons.

He motioned for his Zsasztik subordinate to go in from above and draw the attention of the guard away. It worked perfectly, and just as the guard looked up, Chad flew at him with a fist that covered both of his noses; he was knocked out in less than 15 seconds, being too reliant on breathing repeatedly.

They opened the door and hid, drawing the interior guard away. Though it put the computer room on alert, it also made him, being of the same species, equally easy and short work. From there, numbuh 13,366 phased through the wall, barely making it in time to regain his form without any injury, as was his species' greatest limitation. He needed only reach one button.

The seconds ticked away quickly by the beat of his heart, but were eternally long in his head. At last, the chirp of confirmation came over the conn. Chad and their third raced in through the door and then both doors were locked down.

The other interior guard and the four positioned in front of the main terminal reacted quickly. It was a five-on three battle, but the scientists and technicians working simply scrambled out of the way to give them room.

"All teams be advised!" Chad reported to Beta and Gamma squads, along with Rachel and company on the ship, "we are inside the computer room and have locked it down. Be prepared to blast a way out for us and then haul to safety!"

The guard on the inside of the other door, which was perhaps thirty meters away in the exact location of the one they came through, was of the same species as the guards already neutralized. The four interior guards were all of another species, one which resembled astronauts comprised of sound waves, like fishes in mobile tanks, they were physically tough and tactfully minded.

They could release waves of high speed air that made your head ring like you'd been hit with a truck, but these waves were small and focused, dodgeable to say the least. Chad leapt over two and ducked under a third before throwing an electric pod at them, which was shot down and prematurely exploded before it got in range.

Numbuh 13,366 grabbed one of the interior guards from behind and cracked his suit in half, releasing the true being within and making him mostly formless, overall rather harmless. His brothers focused their fire on him while the door guard focused on Chad and Numbuh 14412. Alert, they were more dangerous, and though they were on the smaller side, they had hides hard as brick.

"They're coming at us hard!" Patton chimed in from outside the computer room, "got an ETA for extraction?"

"Wrapping things up!" Chad called back amid dodge.

The beatles from within his partner were capable of poisoning, and they flew out and pecked at the guard door while Chad sparred with him, and soon enough he was getting slower and more sloppy. By the time their third was on his knees from the three-pronged attack, Chad had knocked out the door guard with a well placed kick to the face.

Now in a three on three, the guards became desperate, focused on Chad and Numbuh 14412, the former of which was knocked against the railing that guarded a long to the computer sub-level, the latter of which began to panic and writhe in place.

Despite Chad's attempt to save him, the concentrated sound-air wave attack knocked him down again, and then refocused on Numbuh 14412, whose invisible field burst apart with a loud bang, and whose members died rapidly upon contact with the world outside of that field.

"Get to cover," Numbuh 13,366 warned as he raised off his knees.

Chad dove under a computer terminal and held his head within his arms, and a loud growl-ish wail contested the high speed thrashing waves of the guards. The room took on an almost supernatural feeling, and the screeching got so loud Chad hardly heard himself thinking. The intensity was actually cracking the terminal's structure, and he felt the blood in his ears churning, almost fit to explode out of his head.

But at last the torrential sound battle ended, and most power was taken out, as were the three suits of the guards, while Numbuh 13,366 was left near unconscious against the heavily bent railing.

Chad's steps were weary and wobbling, but there was no time to waste. He raced as fast and safe as he could to the main terminal, elevated several feet higher than most of the other terminals all around it.

He plugged in a copier and had all information on the terminal replicated in a near-instant. He also coded in a GKND approved virus, which destroyed the data as it was copied down. The OED process, however, was a running task, and tasks mid-process were not affected by this type of virus.

He opened up the OED portal and found it charged at a frightening 93%. If they had been just minutes later…

Now he had to find somewhere for all that pent up energy to go, and frankly, he wanted it everywhere but down into Earth. He opened vents and valves, air locks and pod bay doors, he spared no operative and no piece of equipment. He began funneling it out of the core at once, but it would end up exploding all the same. He would have a few minutes to beam out, which was doable in the event of an imminent explosion, the computer would not allow friendlies to be trapped inside a war station.

"All RND agents, attention please!" Chad barked over the main channel, "the OED has been halted, but Ookhal is a goner. Evacuation is required now! I repeat, NOW!"

"What have you done!?" A green skinned scientist demanded from his hiding place in the corner.

"I saved my home. Now I have to see an old friend about sending this station here in the first place."

"You've defied GKND High Command!" the scientist accused, "You won't get away with this. You're a dead operative, 274 of Earth. You will rue this day!"

"I'm a bit busy to-"

Everything, even his own imminent death if he did not move, was stripped from his mind as he saw Nigel in the holo-communicator in the wall near the door they had come through. And standing under it was a panicked 74.239, in true form.

"Well well...Nigel mused from the safety of his command post, "I knew you were defiant, I never imagined you'd make it this far though."

Chad moved past the scientist at a steady pace, not minding the still injured 13,366 or the calls from Patton, Duva, and Rachel over the comm. Even 74.239 was barely noticeable against Nigel's form.

Had he really changed so much since the trial? He was so confidant in his choices now, so smug and proud. It made him sick, and all the hatred in his heart was as likely to blow as Ookhal.

"How dare you...have you no respect for what we did? For everything the Kids Next Door stand for?"

"The Earth-based Kids Next Door are an offshoot. A side project, a footnote in the history of the Galactic Kids Next Door."

"That doesn't matter," Chad shot, "You're human, Earth is your home. You sentenced it all to oblivion, even your friends from Sector V. I'll never forgive that."

"Honestly...you just don't see the bigger picture, do you?"

"I see what matters, and that's enough."

"Earth is inconsequential. The things I've learned...the truths I've discovered….how about you end this pointless crusade and join us again. I can swing High Command's punishment. If you only knew what I knew, Chad, you'd be happy to call me friend again."

Chad punched the only person in arms' reach - Numbuh 74.239 - in frustration, "Inconsequential? Earth? Home? Friends and family and everything you knew? When we meet face to face, you better pray the armies you're hiding behind have beaten me bloody and numb, otherwise you're in for the same...and maybe even then some."

Nigel actually laughed, "Bold words, old friend. But as futile as ever."

The squirming 74.239 was caught by Chad and held against the wall beside the communicator.

"I'm gonna start with our friend here, and then I'm working my way up to Infinity, and then you. And for what you've done to my world, I'll pass my own sentence on you."

Nigel suddenly shifted focus to the scientist in Chad's grip, "If you tell him anything, I will make sure you live to regret it - deeply."

That was the first thing Nigel had said in recent memory that made Chad smile - that confirmed that 74.239 was useful to him, and that Nigel was afraid to stand up in a one on one fight.

"You tell Infinity, and you hear me now, I'm coming for you. I won't stop until you've all paid for the crimes you've committed here today. Orbital Euthanization...the Nigel I knew would never do something so stupid."

"The Nigel you knew is long gone. He grew up with the truth the GKND have shown. There is more to this battle than you know Chad. There is more to this universe. We aren't in grave danger as of yet….but we are necessary, and the things we do, though hard, are necessary. If you have any respect for truth, justice, or freedom, you will reconsider my offer and join us again. It's not too late...but you're running out of time."

"No Nigel. You're running out of time."

Nigel caressed his face in his palm and sighed, "Fine...I believe you were about to blow up anyways. I'm sorry it had to turn out like this, Chad. I did look up to you, you know. Honestly….I wouldn't be here without you. So for that at least, thank you. Now...goodbye."

The image flashed into nothingness, and Chad breathed deep and hard, 74.239 still squirming and shaking in his hands.

"Come on, we've gotta move!" Chad told him, dragging him towards Numbuh 13,366 and racing against time to make good on his promises.


End file.
